Indonesia retains Uber Cup crown<\/p>\n
By Arif Suryobuwono<\/p>\n
HONG KONG (JP): The chant "Who owns badminton if not
\nIndonesia?" echoed around the packed Queen Elizabeth stadium as
\nthe Indonesian second-string duo of Lili Tampi and Finarsih
\nsealed their side's victory over China in the Uber Cup final
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Finarsih and Lili's 15-9, 15-10 win over Qin Yiyuan and Tang
\nYongshu, who are ranked nine places above them, means that the
\nCup remains safe in Indonesian hands, at least for another two
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Indonesia finally edged China 4-1 after Meulawati's 11-6, 11-2
\nrout of Zhang Ning, lengthening the 3-1 lead notched by Susi
\nSusanti's 4-11, 11-5, 11-5 victory over arch rival Ye Zhaoying;
\nMia Audina's 11-4, 11-6 demolition of Wang Chen; and Lili
\nTampi\/Finarsih's edging of Qin Yiyuan and Tang Yong-shu.<\/p>\n
The stadium was engulfed last night by the Indonesian national
\nanthem and patriotic songs sung by rows of fanatic Indonesian
\nsupporters. The atmosphere in the stadium was every inch
\nIndonesian, as if Hong Kong didn't exist.<\/p>\n
Lili Tampi, falling and weeping as Qin Yiyuan's shot kissed
\nthe net, said the victory was crucial for her because it prepared
\nher for the Atlanta Olympic Games (July 19 to Aug. 4), which, she
\nsaid, would be her last appearance with Finarsih.<\/p>\n
Lili, who has been paired with Finarsih since 1991, said she
\nhad decided not to continue her women's doubles career but hinted
\nthat she might still play in mixed doubles. "I wanted a sweet
\nfarewell. Finarsih and I have already had too many losses lately.
\nI owe my victory to Susi," she said.<\/p>\n
Susi, who again inspired her teammates as she did on Thursday
\nwith her 11-7, 11-0 thrashing of South Korea's Bang Soo Hyun,
\nfell 11-4 to Ye in the first set because she was still in the
\n"adjustment" period.<\/p>\n
In the second set, Susi said, the wind was with her and she
\ntook the lead by playing fast and attack-minded, which she
\ncontinued until the third set. Susi's coach, Liang Chiu Sia, said
\nthat perhaps Ye was shocked by Susi's sudden attacks.<\/p>\n
The only point lost to China was the first doubles match.
\nChina's world number one partnership of Ge Fei and Gu Jun was
\nstretched to a rubber set, but was still too strong for Eliza and
\nZelin Rosiana. Ge and Gu defeated the Indonesian pair 7-15, 15-8,
\n15-12.<\/p>\n
Ge Fei said she was, at first, greatly disturbed by the noisy
\ncheers and jeers screamed by the Indonesian supporters. "I was
\nvery tense and nervous. That's why we lost the first set. But
\ngradually we got used to the noise."<\/p>\n
Gu Jun also said that she was very nervous during the first
\ngame because the game was going to be decisive for China. But
\nwhen Ge and Gu trailed 8-12 behind Eliza and Zelin, "we suddenly
\nlost our nervousness because we thought we were going to lose
\nanyway, so why be tense?" That was the turning point. Ge and Gu
\ncrawled back to end the game 15-12.<\/p>\n
China's coach Li Yong Bo attributed his team's loss to a loss
\nof spirits after Ye's defeat. Li said he knew Ye would lose but
\nexpected to be able to crawl back through Ge and Gu, Wang,
\nQin\/Tang and Zhang.<\/p>\n
As it turned out, such expectations were reduced to shambles
\nas the rest of the team no longer had its fighting spirit.<\/p>\n
"With their spirits down, they were no longer able to play
\nnormally," Li said. After the 4-1 defeat, the Chinese girls were
\nall tears, as was their coach Li Lingwei. China's team manager
\nZhou Jincan's eyes were red, but he managed not to cry.<\/p>\n
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman said the
\ngovernment would certainly give the Uber Cup winners awards as a
\ntoken of appreciation. He could not yet mention what kind of
\nawards await them.<\/p>\n
Mia Audina, who attributed her 11-4, 11-6 victory over Wang
\nChen to patience and composure, said she was surprised to play
\nWang instead of Hang Jingna. Mia said she was anxious to test her
\nability after months of absence due to injury.<\/p>\n
"I wanted to know whether I was still as good as I was before
\nthe injury." Mia's knee was injured when she was taking on Wang
\nat 11-12, 8-10 in the World Grand Prix Finals on Dec. 1995. Wang
\nlost to Mia 12-10, 11-12, 10-12 in the All England Open 1995.<\/p>\n
Mia's coach, Retno Kustiyah, said both Mia and Wang were of
\nthe same type but since Wang is taller than Mia, Mia should not
\nlet her be led into rally. This strategy worked. Mia pressed hard
\non Wang, forcing her to always be on the receiving end. Retno
\nbelieves Mia's shattered confidence has now been recovered.<\/p>\n
Thomas Cup -- Page 16<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-retains-uber-cup-crown-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }